News

The Des Moines City Council has passed an anti-racial profiling ordinance nearly two years after the first version of the proposal was introduced.

Iowa high school baseball and softball teams were allowed to start their summer seasons earlier this month, but COVID-19 has already benched several teams.

William J. Locker has been sitting on the song “Livin’ In Denial” for a while. He’s decided now is the time to release it, along with a striking music video.

Locker is a veteran of the Iowa music scene. In addition to teaching drum lessons at Central Iowa Music Lab, he’s worked as a session musician at Sonic Factory Studios, which is owned by his brother, Jon. He’s also a member of two cover bands, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Pianopalooza, and he writes and records music with his wife, singer-songwriter Nella Thomas.

Follow the latest Iowa news in our Daily Digest, a liveblog where you can catch up on the headlines and find more reporting from our news team from around Iowa. 

Woodbury County will take part in a nationwide effort to promote U.S. Highway 20’s original route by installing historic markers along the section that officials hope will generate tourism. 

The Iowa Commission of Latino Affairs has started a collaboration with Hola Iowa, a bilingual news outlet focused on Latino communities in Iowa and western Illinois. They loosely named the project “Latinos You Should Know.” The entire issue of the Hola Iowa publication will be devoted to highlighting the work of 20 Latinos of 2020.

This Sunday is Father’s Day. In honor of that fact, here are five videos of musical fathers and their grown children performing together.

Classical music can feel daunting to dig into if you’ve not had a lot of exposure to the genre. There are lots of terms, styles, composers, and performers, and if you are unfamiliar, it can feel tough to break in. Since schools adjourned due to the pandemic, we’ve been working to create resources for learners of all ages. This summer, we’re going to dig into classical music for the non-classical listener.

There are many composers who have written amazing music, and this is by no means a definitive list. But if you’re just wondering where to start, these incredible writers serve as a great jumping off point and each have enough repertoire to keep you busy for a while.

Veterans who fly to Washington D.C. to see their service memorials on so-called Honor Flights will have to wait until next year.

The National Honor Flight Board  has canceled all trips until 2021 due to concerns over COVID-19.

The trips began in 2005 to take World War II veterans to see their newly-dedicated memorial at no cost to them. Co-Chair of the Sullivan Hartog Davis Flight in Waterloo, Frank Magsamen said the trips have continued with the fewer of the oldest veterans.

The Iowa City City Council voted Tuesday night to develop a plan to restructure the city’s police department, at the urging of local Black Lives Matter activists. Local officials described the effort as a “major” step towards reducing the city’s reliance on armed officers for nonviolent situations.

Vice President Mike Pence says America is making what he calls a “transition to greatness,” as the economy bounces back from pandemic shutdowns.

“After the difficult times through which we have passed as a nation, today every state in this country and nearly three-quarters of America’s small businesses have already begun to reopen,” Pence said early this afternoon in north central Iowa. “We’re opening up America again and you’re part of that story.”

Pence told a crowd in Forest City that all 50 states are reopening in a safe and responsible way.

For close to 50 summers, the Des Moines Metro Opera has been presenting knock-your-socks-off performances in Indianola. The DMMO, considered one of the major American summer opera festivals, produces more than 100 performances annually and receives rave reviews from the nationally acclaimed “Opera News” and “Opera Today.”

Since 2011, IPR Classical has traveled to Indianola to interview artists, produce and broadcast The Des Moines Metro Opera’s nationally-recognized mainstage performances.

Due to COVID-19, it was with a heavy heart the company had to cancel its live summer festival season. Instead, the opera is presenting a virtual festival. 

Several Iowa leaders are asking the federal government to add turkey farms to the types of agricultural businesses that get relief from coronavirus-related losses. The industry was not mentioned in the CARES Act nor in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s payment program for farm businesses.

“There was no money made available for turkeys,” says Ron Kardel, a turkey farmer in Walcott and chair of the National Turkey Federation.

Gov. Kim Reynolds will issue an executive order that automatically restores felon voting rights before the November election.

“We’re working on that right now, sitting down with various groups, listening to what they think is important what is contained in that executive order,” Reynolds said Tuesday in Osage, “and then I’ve got my legal team working on it.”